Kansas Can't Overcome Late Mistakes, Lose to No. 24 Texas 68-65

After Kansas was unable to close out a win against Baylor, it again struggled to finish late and was unable to knock off No. 24 Texas in Allen Fieldhouse Saturday, falling 68-65.

Chandler Prater scored the first points of the game with a pair of free throws. On the back of balanced scoring, the Jayhawks opened up a 15-10 lead. But this would be a game of runs and Teas closed the first quarter on a 5-0 run to tie it at 15.

The Longhorns then scored the first five points of the second quarter. But Taiyanna Jackson was just getting started. Jackson scored six straight points and the next eight Kansas points to take a 23-22 lead. Then it was Zakiyah Franklin’s turn to step up. As KU took a 30-26 lead, Jackson and Franklin had 21 of those points.

Kansas took a 34-28 lead into halftime, but Texas cut it to two almost immediately. The Longhorns went up four in the third quarter when Kansas went on a 9-1 run to take its largest lead of the game at 49-43.

Again, KU had a lead heading into the fourth quarter – 53-48 – but turnovers plagued the Jayhawks in the fourth quarter and all of a sudden Texas led 63-59. A Wyvette Mayberry steal and layup cut the Longhorns’ lead to two with 2:30 minutes left in the game, but Kansas couldn’t control the ball, giving it away at the worst times. Texas recorded 14 steals in the game and KU turned it over 21 times.

A Franklin free-throw made it a three-point game with 43.6 seconds left and after a huge shot by UT’s Rori Harmon, Holly Kersgieter hit a big three after a pump fake to shake her defender to cut it to 67-65. KU would get the ball back with eight seconds left but a Franklin entry pass to Jackson was stolen and one final heave to halfcourt in the final second was stolen to seal the game.

Jackson led the Jayhawks with 21 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Franklin’s 20 points. Mayberry was the only other Jayhawk in double figures (12). Kersgieter had a game she’d probably want to forget, only scoring five points on 2-8 shooting with five turnovers.

The Jayhawks will face TCU at home on Wednesday.